Anxiety

Nitrous Oxide or "Laughing Gas"

Many people have dental anxiety and to help treat this anxiety I offer nitrous oxide (laughing gas). Nitrous oxide is not a deep sedative-it will not put you to sleep. Instead, nitrous oxide aids in the relaxation of a patient. It is breathed in through the nose as a mixture of oxygen and nitrous oxide. It enters the blood stream, just as the oxygen does. A monitor is set up to watch your blood to oxygen level and your pulse. These are important vital signs to monitor. Nitrous oxide helps many adults and children to relax. After the procedure is completed, the patient is given pure oxygen to breathe in for 5 to 7 minutes. This flushes the nitrous oxide out of the body. If you have any further questions regarding nitrous oxide, feel free to please ask me.

Oral Medication

If a patient is feeling apprehensive about a procedure and has anxiety I may prescribe an oral medication, such as Valium. This is a tablet or pill that is given to the patient an hour before the dental appointment. It relaxes the patient and reduces anxiety. The dosage will not cause unconsciousness, but will relax the patient. However, if the patient elects to do this then someone must drive the patient to and from the office. Rarely, do I have a patient that has reactions to these medications. I find this technique to be extremely helpful if the patient is apprehensive about the dental appointment.